At the official launch of Pride Week at City Hall on July 30, just prior to the raising of the rainbow flag, a panel of representatives from Vancouver's queer communities assembled to address the current state of affairs.

When reverend Gary Paterson, an openly gay minister at St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church who moderated the panel, introduced Robertson, he talked about how Toronto mayor Rob Ford did not attend Pride parades there and showed up for a raising of the rainbow flag unexpectedly (on the International Day Against Homophobia in May, although he failed to show up for Toronto's Pride Week flag raising in June).

"But that is completely opposite to the mayor that we have in Vancouver who has always supported this community," Paterson said. "And I know that when he decided to run for mayor, I didn't even have to ask him whether he would be supportive. That would have been an insult to ask Gregor Robertson that question."

However, Robertson won't be able to attend the Pride parade this year as he will be on a business mission to the Olympics in London, England.

Mayor Gregor Robertson made an introductory speech about the progress made for equal rights and social progress for queer people in this city.

Vancouver Pride Society president Tim Richards followed with a speech, and called for a moment of silence for "those who have passed and gave life to the struggle for equality and believed in a better tomorrow".

The panel discussion spanned a wide range of topics, including everything from homophobia, transphobia, and bullying to lesbian issues, gender disparities, and health care.

Trevor Loke acknowledged and thanked previous generations have paved the way for his generation, including marriage equality and hate-crime protection. But he had some tough words for homophobic harassment.

"At home, we've witnessed the horrific harassment of queer youth, the physical, verbal, and psychological abuse which our youth endure," Loke said. "We've sugarcoated it by calling it bullying, and told the victims 'It gets better.' And telling someone who has lived through that sort of trauma that they just need to hang tight is a cop out. We need to make it better."

He emphasized that it's important for his generation not to rest on their laurels.

"If we do not continue to push forward together now in the pursuit of justice, then we risk taking a step backwards at the peril of the next generation," Loke said.

Jan Derbyshire, who joked that she was a tomboy who became a tomman, noted that while it's a time for celebration, she also cautioned about how the partying aspect of queer culture can become a closet in itself.

"There's still a lot of shame. There's still a lot of hiding. I love the party," she said. "But when the party continues as a way of hiding who we are, or hiding the shame, or hiding emotions that will get diagnosed and medicated, then we need to talk more."

"I have sometimes a really hard time with the party because for transgender people, life is not yet worth celebrating at that level," she said. "When we talk about income disparity, the disparity in income even between gays and lesbians versus transgender people is enormous. When we talk about acceptance, trans women are still largely not accepted in lesbian communities….We face discrimination 100 percent of the time. We're always out wherever we go….We don't always feel welcome within the queer community either….We are still waiting for our time."

However, not wanting to be a "big downer", she does think that "our celebration, thank goodness, is around the corner".

She thinks the key is education. "One significant thing that needs to happen is we need to have an education campaign for the population to let them know that trans people are actually okay."

Tim Stevenson used the example of Chinese footbinding as a metaphor for how the growth of queer communities has been impeded. He pointed out that if a foot was suddenly released from being bound, it would not immediately recover. Instead, he pointed out, it would take time and care.

"Then comes the job of our community to help each one of us to slowly try to bring that unbound foot maybe back to some place that it might be, as it would have been if our society wasn't the same," he said. "And for some people, that might go relatively easily. For others, it's really tough. Our job is to encourage and help each other to slowly move that foot."

After the panel, the assembly moved outside for the raising of the rainbow flag, emceed by city manager Penny Ballem.

Mayor Robertson read out an official proclamation for Pride Week.

While Vancouver Pride Society president Tim Richards spoke about numerous gains queer communities have to celebrate, he also reminded the audience about what still needs to be done.

To everyone's surprise, even the Queen made a special (and entertaining) appearance at the event.

Her Dragesty was actually one of the Pride parade's grand marshals, Bill Munroe.

The other two grand marshals are transgender beauty pageant contestant Jenna Talackova (who also attended the proceedings) and community activist David Holtzman, who will be honoured posthumously.

To conclude the event, the rainbow flag was raised at Vancouver City Hall.

Comments

3 Comments

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JamieLee

Jul 31, 2012 at 5:24pm

It is so disappointing to once again see that City Hall Pride organizers appear unable to come to terms of who makes up our community. Look at all the faces that City Hall puts on for display in their display of Pride. What should be a representaive panel of community members isn't representative at all. Most are white, older and privileged. Even when you throw in a younger person the individual again is ethnically white. Sorry Trevor Loke. I must question is this the best City Hall can do? And yet they pat themselves on the back raising the rainbow flag telling us how great our Mayor is. Gee thanks older white guy Reverend Gary Paterson. What seems apparent to me is that many colours of that Rainbow are once again invisible. And shame on the Straight for not pointing out what is so obvious to so many of us. And this is supposed to be Pride? It is nothing but a reflection of the corporatization of Pride and as we know filling the corporate seats of the nation are privileged, white, older guys and gals. Any surprise that City Hall and Leaders in our own community are following suit.

Dwight Haskins

Jul 15, 2013 at 10:08am

Jamie, damn straight you have a point. Pride is great because it makes up all ethnicities, colors, race, genders, political persuasions. While whites make up the majority of the gay community, this doesn't mean that Pride should only concentrate on whites.